A/N: Well, this is the last chapter - it's a shorter story than my others! Hope it doesn't disappoint! Thank you to Healed535 (see, I told you!), SereneMayhem, photo100 (glad you finally were in the mood for it!), and rmatri540 for your great reviews!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

He rode hard, refusing to stop more than necessary to rest the horses and continue on again. Merlin was getting weaker with each passing moment and Arthur kept up a steady mantra of "Hold on, just hold on" in his head. Occasionally he would even say it out loud as he applied the paste Gaius had given him to the steadily worsening burn on Merlin's chest. Raw and livid, thick red lines ran cross ways over his torso and down his arms, steadily working its way up his neck. The crawling sensation had not lessened but Arthur refused to allow it to slow him down. He needed to find the Green Knight quickly before it was too late for his servant.

It was night when Arthur arrived at Dolorous Guard, the horses covered in sweat. Silence reigned and nothing stirred amongst the stone buildings of the outpost. Carefully as he could, Arthur pulled his unconscious friend from his horse and carried him into the Great Hall where they had sheltered only a few days before. He made short work of lighting a fire, making sure Merlin was as comfortable as possible before lighting a torch and heading outside. It would not be easy to find the Green Knight in the dark but fear gripped him in its iron grasp. If he did not find the magical being soon Merlin would die and despite everything, the thought of Merlin dying was more than he could bare.

"Are you here?" Arthur shouted into the impenetrable blackness of the forest. "If you're here, show yourself!" Darkness and the echo of his own voice were the only replies. "I need your help! Show yourself!"

"You need my help?" intoned the Green Knight appearing from nowhere to stand at his side. "You dare to come here and ask for my help, Arthur Pendragon?"

"I haven't come for myself," Arthur said, facing the Knight and stepping back.

The Knight hefted his great axe from his shoulder and swung it hard into the ground, leaning on the haft. "Oh, you have. You've come because of your guilt. Because you realise you've been prejudiced and ignorant and it has caused the death of your friend."

Arthur bit back the angry retort that threatened to spill from his lips. "He isn't dead yet."

The Knight shrugged, "Details."

"He needs his magic to survive," Arthur growled. "Give it back to him."

"His magic was given to him that he might serve the Once and Future King and usher in a golden age of peace. He turned his back on that to remain at your side," the Knight made a chopping motion with his hand. "His fate is his own and no concern of mine."

"You were the one who took his magic and you knew it would kill him. Why?"

"Because he failed you, Arthur Pendragon. You were to be the Once and Future King - he was to turn you onto that path and to do so he was given two gifts: magic and his all-consuming loyalty to you. However, his love and loyalty overshadowed the reason he was given them and he would not do what was necessary to force you to change your stance on magic - the Old Ways would wait no longer and they have chosen another to lead this new age."

"Then why kill him?"

"I told him of this, told him he was to serve another. That you would die and he would stand by the side of the Once and Future King again. He would not accept his new destiny - the loyalty I spoke of could not be so easily severed. Instead I removed both him and you from Destiny's grasp. So I ask you, Arthur Pendragon, why should I help you?"

Arthur's heart sank at the Knight's words and he shook his head in denial. "He's a good man, he doesn't deserve this."

"So were many that your father put to death - that you put to death," the Knight opened his arms wide. "You see, life is not fair."

"I am sorry," Arthur said, taking a step forwards, "for what my father did; for what I did. If you want revenge, then kill me! I am the one who deserves it. But I am begging you, give Merlin his magic back."

"And if I did?" the Knight asked. "What would happen then? He would return to Camelot only to be executed by your wife."

"Guinevere would never kill Merlin," Arthur scoffed.

"No? You severely underestimate the ruthlessness of your queen. You dead, he, a magic user, still alive and within the borders of your kingdom? He would be dead before he could ever explain."

"Please," Arthur sank to his knees.

The Knight sprang forward, towering over the kneeling king, his helmeted face close to Arthur's. "Why?"

"Because he's my friend!" Arthur exclaimed. "He's my brother!"

"He has magic, Arthur Pendragon. You would call a sorcerer a brother?"

"With all my heart," Arthur stated vehemently. "He has done so much for me, without him I would be so much less than I am."

"But your own laws - "

"Are wrong!"

The Green Knight straightened, pulling his axe from the ground and started walking in the direction of the Great Hall. Arthur scrambled to his feet, having to jog slightly to keep up with the massive knight's strides. The Knight pushed open the door to the hall, quickly making his way to Merlin's side and dropped to his knees beside him.

Without a word, the Knight placed his hand directly over the brand on the warlock's chest and held it there for a moment. If the removal of Merlin's magic had caused the earth to shake, its return was the opposite. Dawn light shone through the windows and a calm peace descended in the hall and Arthur felt the awful crawling sensation rescind and disappear to nothingness.

The Knight stood and Arthur took his place at his friend's side, checking to see if the terrible wound was gone. He looked up at the Knight, "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"You were ever the Once and Future King, Arthur Pendragon," his tone softer than it had ever been before. "But his love for you would have never allowed him to push you in the direction you needed go - he would not take your free will from you and so I was sent to force your hand, to show you what life without your destiny would be."

"You did this to get me to change the laws on magic?" exclaimed Arthur furiously.

"No," the Knight responded and Arthur could have sworn he chuckled, "I did this so you would realise that magic is not inherently evil. That even those with it deserve your love and respect. What you choose to do with that knowledge, I will leave to you."

With that the Green Knight turned and strode to the door, pausing as he opened it. "Do you hear that?" he asked, almost in awe.

Arthur frowned and listened. "Birds," he stated carelessly.

"Life," the Knight corrected.

Merlin groaned as he came to, sitting up slowly and pressing the heels of his hands against his temples. "Agh, what did I drink?"

There was a shuffling next to him and a water-skin shoved in his face. "Water."

He accepted the proffered skin and took a sip. "Thanks, Arthur." Looking around he realised they were still in Dolorous Guard, although the atmosphere seemed lighter somehow. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Er, Gwaine kept his head. The Green Knight was angry..." he frowned. "That's it?"

Arthur sat back against the wall, resting his forearms on his knees. "So you don't remember him taking your magic?"

Merlin, who had been in the process of drinking, choked, spraying water everywhere. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shook his head. "Magic? What are you talking about, Arthur? I don't...have..." he trailed off, realising the futility of denying it. Taking a deep breath he forced himself to meet his master's eyes, his heart pounding, "What are you going to do?"

"Do?" Arthur raised his eyebrows. "What do you think I should do, Merlin?"

"Listen, Arthur," Merlin said desperately, "I understand if you're angry but I've only ever tried to protect you. I swear my loyalty is to you and to Camelot."

"Angry?" The king nodded slowly, "Yes. You lied to me. Ten years, Merlin. Ten years. A decade. Almost one third of my life."

The pounding in Merlin's head increased at his friend's words and he found himself floundering for a justification. When the time was put to him like that it was almost unbelievable. Ten years of lies and obfuscation were hard to explain when considered as a whole. When it was day to day then it was easy - the ends justified the means and there would always be 'tomorrow' to explain his actions but ten years of 'tomorrows' stacked up badly.

"Do you having nothing to say?" Arthur demanded.

"I'm sorry," Merlin whispered.

The king ran a hand through his hair. "As am I. Truly. I thought, despite everything, we were friends and that meant something to me."

"We are friends," the warlock stated earnestly.

"And yet," retorted Arthur, "here we are - ten years of lies and betrayal between us."

"I swear to you, Arthur, I would never use magic to hurt you or Camelot."

"Magic, unbelievably, is not the issue here," Arthur said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I forgive the magic. I even forgive the lies."

Merlin frowned, confusion written across his features. "Then what?"

"You were my best friend, Merlin. You were like a brother to me and I would have laid down my life for you in an instant. I trusted you with things I had never told anyone."

"And now you wonder if you can still trust me?"

"No," Arthur shook his head. "I know I can trust you. Of that I have no doubt. What breaks my heart is that you never once trusted me!"

"I don't - "

"Ten years, Merlin! I understand that when my father was alive, you couldn't. But sometime between then and now...you could have told me the truth yourself, without leaving Gaius to tell me as you lay dying in front of me!"

"I was scared of your reaction," Merlin said, gesturing at the king. "You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you...Do you honestly believe I wanted to keep this from you? You're my best friend too and it nearly killed me to lie to you everyday!"

Arthur sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. "Was any part of our friendship a lie?"

"None!" Merlin exclaimed forcefully. "Arthur, I may have lied to you but my loyalty and friendship were real. I would do anything for you."

The king searched his face for long minutes and Merlin forced himself to maintain eye contact the whole time. It was this the moment where his destiny would either be fulfilled or broken, the shifting threads of fate twisting about him. Arthur's gaze shifted to the window and he nodded in its direction.

"A new day."

Merlin twisted to look out the window, squinting in the bright light of the morning sun. "A beautiful one," he acknowledged.

Arthur stood, dusting himself off and offering his hand to pull Merlin to his feet. "You're family to me, Merlin," Arthur said quietly but intently, not releasing his servant's hand, "and God knows I have little enough left as it is. I forgive you for everything. All of it." He pulled the younger man in for a quick hug before pushing him away gruffly.

"But you don't know what I've done," Merlin protested, wondering even as the words left his mouth why he'd said anything.

"It doesn't matter. All I know is that if anything happened to you or Guinevere I would never forgive myself - I realised that when Gaius told me he could do nothing to save you. None of it mattered: the magic and the lies, as long as our friendship was real. And if it was, I couldn't bare to lose you."

"Really?" Merlin asked dumfounded.

Arthur laughed and punched his friend in the arm. "Yes. But if you tell anyone I said that..." he let the words hang as a threat.

Merlin held up his hands in surrender, "Hey, don't worry, I won't breathe a word!"

"Come on, you idiot," Arthur said affectionately, throwing an arm over Merlin's shoulders, "let's go home. We've got work to do - a 'golden era' or something to build."

Outside the sun shined brightly against a brilliant blue sky, birds flying about with unbridled energy and slowly new flowers opened to greet a fresh dawn.

THE END

A/N: So what did you think? Hope you enjoyed it!